Basic Chemicals

Hydrochloric Acid
Calculate pH Values of Hydrochloric
Acid Solutions
Wt% HCl

pH

Normality (eq/L)

3.647

0.00

1.000

2.500

0.16

0.694

2.000

0.26

0.554

1.500

0.38

0.414

1.000

0.56

0.275

0.500

0.86

0.137

0.3647

1.00

0.100

0.2500

1.16

0.0685

0.1150

1.50

0.0316

0.03647

2.00

0.0100

0.01150

2.50

0.00316

0.003647

3.00

0.00100

0.001150

3.50

0.000316

0.0003647

4.00

0.000100

0.0001150

4.50

0.0000316

0.00003647

5.00

0.0000100

0.00001150

5.50

0.00000316

0.000003647

6.00

0.00000100

0.000001150

6.50

0.000000316

0.0000003647

7.00

0.000000100

NOTES:

Solution strengths less than 1% were assumed to have specific gravities of 1.0
See reverse side for calculation formulas
100-103 Hydrochloric Acid 01/2015

Occidental Tower
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 2200
Dallas, Texas 75244-6119

Important: The information presented herein, while not guaranteed, was prepared by
technical personnel and is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge. NO WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR WARRANTY
OR GUARANTY OF ANY OTHER KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IS MADE REGARDING
PERFORMANCE, SAFETY, SUITABILITY, STABILITY OR OTHERWISE. This information is
not intended to be all-inclusive as to the manner and conditions of use, handling, storage,
disposal and other factors that may involve other or additional legal, environmental, safety
or performance considerations, and OxyChem assumes no liability whatsoever for the use
of or reliance upon this information. While our technical personnel will be happy to
respond to questions, safe handling and use of the product remains the responsibility of
the customer. No suggestions for use are intended as, and nothing herein shall be
construed as, a recommendation to infringe any existing patents or to violate any Federal,
State, local or foreign laws.


Basic Chemicals
pH of Hydrochloric Acid
Acidity and Alkalinity (pH)
+
An acid is a substance that yields hydrogen ions (H )
when dissolved in water, while bases are substances
that yield hydroxide ions (OH ). Strong acids or bases
ionize nearly completely in water to yield many
hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions.
Pure water ionizes slightly to produce an equivalent
+
number of [H ] and [OH ] ions.
Any solution
+
containing equal concentrations of [H ] and [OH ] is
+
neutral. Any solution with an excess of [H ] is acidic.
Any solution with an excess of [OH ] is basic.
pH
The relative strength of an acid or base is found by
+
comparing the concentration of [H ] in solution with
+
that of water. The hydrogen-ion concentration [H ]
expressed as a power of 10 is known as the pH. By
definition pH is equal to the negative logarithm of the
hydrogen-ion concentration.
+
+
pH = -log[H ] = log 1/[H ]
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7.0 being
neutral. Solutions with a pH below 7.0 are acidic
while solutions with a pH above 7.0 are basic (or
alkaline).

of HCl (one molecular mass per liter), yields a

+
one molar solution of [H ].
Wt% HCl is first converted to molar concentration
+
to determine the [H ]. The weight of 1 liter of HCl
is determined by multiplying the solution
concentration (Wt%) by its specific gravity (SpGr)
and by 1,000 (assuming that 1 liter of water
weighs 1,000 grams). Specific gravities for very
dilute HCl solutions may be assumed to be 1.
Weight HCl is then converted to molar
concentration by dividing by the gram-molecular
mass of HCl (36.47). As stated above, the molar
concentration of HCl is equal to the hydrogen ion
+
concentration [H ].
(Wt% HCl/100%)(SpGr)(1,000g/L)(mol HCl/36.47g) =mol/L HCl = mol/L [H+]
+

The pH is then calculated from the [H ] via the pH

equation.
+
+
pH = log 1/[H ] = - log [H ]
2. Given the pH of an HCl solution, what is its
theoretical concentration?
From the pH equation, the following relationship
+
can be used to determine the [H ]:
+

Since the pH scale is logarithmic, not linear, a solution

+
of pH 1 would have ten times (not twice) the [H ] that
a solution of pH 2. Likewise, a solution of pH 12
would be 10 times more alkaline than a solution of pH
11.
pH Calculations Involving HCl Solutions
1. Given the Wt% of an HCl solution, what is its
theoretical pH value?
+

For pH calculations, [H ] is expressed in moles

per liter. Being a strong acid, we can assume
that HCl completely dissociates (ionizes) in water.
Additionally, since one molecule of HCl yields one
+
[H ], the equivalent mass is equal to the
molecular mass. Therefore a one molar solution

[H ] = 10

-pH

Again, since the hydrogen ion concentration [H ]

+
is equal to the molar concentration of HCl ([H ] =
mol/L HCl), the concentration of HCl in Wt% can
be determined as follows:
(HCl mol/L)(36.47g/mol)(L/1,000g)(100%)/(SpGr) = Wt%

Equivalent Masses
In chemical reactions, equivalent amounts of
reactants will combine with each other to form
products. For example, NaOH + HCl --> NaCl + H2O.
In this reaction, one equivalent of NaOH reacts with
one equivalent of HCl to yield one equivalent of NaCl
and one equivalent of H2O. The equivalent mass of a
compound is equal to the gram-molecular mass of the
compound divided by the number of hydrogen ions
100-103 Hydrochloric Acid 01/2015

Occidental Tower
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 2200
Dallas, Texas 75244-6119

Important: The information presented herein, while not guaranteed, was prepared by
technical personnel and is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge. NO WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR WARRANTY
OR GUARANTY OF ANY OTHER KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IS MADE REGARDING
PERFORMANCE, SAFETY, SUITABILITY, STABILITY OR OTHERWISE. This information is
not intended to be all-inclusive as to the manner and conditions of use, handling, storage,
disposal and other factors that may involve other or additional legal, environmental, safety
or performance considerations, and OxyChem assumes no liability whatsoever for the use
of or reliance upon this information. While our technical personnel will be happy to
respond to questions, safe handling and use of the product remains the responsibility of
the customer. No suggestions for use are intended as, and nothing herein shall be
construed as, a recommendation to infringe any existing patents or to violate any Federal,
State, local or foreign laws.


Basic Chemicals
(or hydroxide ions) accepted or donated for each
gram molecular unit. For acids or bases containing
only one reactive hydrogen ion or hydroxide ion the
equivalent mass is equal to the molecular mass. The
molecular mass of HCl is 36.47. The equivalent mass
of HCl is also 36.47.
The molecular mass of any compound in grams
(gram-molecular mass) contains the same number of
23
molecules, Avogadro's number (6.02x10 ). This
quantity of molecules is referred to as a mole. A
molar solution has its concentration expressed as the
number of gram-molecular masses (moles) of
substance per liter.
Solution concentrations expressed in equivalents are
referred to as Normal solutions. A 1 N solution (a 1
normal solution) contains 1 equivalent mass per liter;
a 2 N solution contains 2 equivalent masses per liter,
and so on.
Further Information:
OxyChem
Technical Service Department
Post Office Box 12283
Wichita, Kansas 67277-2283
800-733-1165 ext. 1
www.oxy.com

100-103 Hydrochloric Acid 01/2015

Occidental Tower
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 2200
Dallas, Texas 75244-6119

Important: The information presented herein, while not guaranteed, was prepared by
technical personnel and is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge. NO WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR WARRANTY
OR GUARANTY OF ANY OTHER KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IS MADE REGARDING
PERFORMANCE, SAFETY, SUITABILITY, STABILITY OR OTHERWISE. This information is
not intended to be all-inclusive as to the manner and conditions of use, handling, storage,
disposal and other factors that may involve other or additional legal, environmental, safety
or performance considerations, and OxyChem assumes no liability whatsoever for the use
of or reliance upon this information. While our technical personnel will be happy to
respond to questions, safe handling and use of the product remains the responsibility of
the customer. No suggestions for use are intended as, and nothing herein shall be
construed as, a recommendation to infringe any existing patents or to violate any Federal,
State, local or foreign laws.